But dawn did not last.
By midday, the earth screamed.
The mountains cracked, rivers boiled, forests withered into ash. Black fire surged from the ground, shadow spreading like disease. Wolves howled in terror as the very land turned against them.
"The Shadow is no longer feeding," Aradia whispered, her fire flickering in horror. "It is consuming the world itself."
Kael's wolf snarled, his green eyes blazing. "Then we stop it here. Before nothing remains."
But even as he spoke, the sky darkened. The sun vanished behind black smoke. Snow turned to ash. And in the distance, the Shadow's voice thundered.
"You cannot win. You never win. You always fail."
The world itself bent to its will.
And Kael and Aradia stood against it alone.